Brake beam safety device



Feb. 18, 1941.

E. w. WEBB 2,232,576

BRAKE BEAM SAFETY DEVICE Filed April 28, 1939 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Ill/I111,

Feb. 18, 1941. w. B 2,232,576

BRAKE BEAM SAFETY DEVICE Filed April 28, 1939 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 I IVvar/r012 EDWIN W WEBB.

15 H15 info/1W5 Y5. MM. f Maw Feb. 18, 1941. w WEBB 2,232,576

BRAKE BEAM SAFETY DEVICE Filed April 28, 1939 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 PatentedFeb. 18, 1941 BRAKE BEAM SAFETY DEVICE Edwin W. Webb, Chicago, IlL,assignor to Standard Car Truck Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation ofNew Jersey Application April '28,

3 Claims.

This invention relates to brake beam safety devices for car trucks.

It is the general object of this invention to provide a novel andimproved brake beam safety 5 device of cheap and simple constructionwhich will be effective to support the brake beam and prevent it fromdropping in case of failure or breakage of the regular supports for thebrake beam. 10

vention will more fully appear from the following description made inconnection with the accompanying drawings wherein like referencecharacters refer to the same or similar parts throughout the variousviews and in which,

Fig. 1 is a view in vertical longitudinal section through a portion of acar truck looking toward the inner side of a side frame of the truck,the truck being equipped with a brake beam safety 20 device embodyingthe invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1 asindicated by the arrows;

Fig. 3 is a detail showing the hanger bracket bushing;

Fig. 4 is a section taken on the line 1-4 of Fig. 3 as indicated by thearrows;

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the safety device disconnected;

Fig. 6 is a view in side elevation of the same;

Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 5 of an alternative form of the safetydevice that can be employed;

Fig. 8 is a view in side elevation of one end portion of the deviceshown in Fig. 7;

Fig. 9 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but showing the use of an alternativeform of brake hanger bracket bushing that may be employed;

Fig. 10 is a plan view of the bushing shown in Fig. 9;

Fig. 11 is a view in'side elevation of the bushing shown in Figs. 9 and10;

Fig. 12 is a transverse vertical section taken through a portion of aside frame and brake hanger bracket showing a slightly different type ofbrake hanger and brake hanger support and also showing a safety deviceillustrated in Figs. 7 and 8; and

Fig. 13 is a view looking upward toward the underside of the anchoringclip as it is applied.

Referring to the drawings, Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 13, portions of acar truck are showing including a side frame 9 having a bolster openingI within which a bolster ll works. A spring plank I2 is also shown.Formed at the inner 55 side of the compression member of the side frame,is a brake hanger bracket H of standardized type. A brake beam hanger I4is supported from this brake hanger bracket l3 and it in turn supportsone end of the brake beam 60 which includes the brake beam compressionThe-objects and advantages of the present in- 1939, Serial No. 270,501

member l and brake beam tension member IS. The brake beam carries brakeheads I! equipped with brake shoes l8, which of course work against thecar wheels l9.

To support the hanger II from the brake hanger bracket I3 and preventwear on the inside of the bracket by the hanger, a. split bushingconsisting of the two parts 20 and 2| is provided. The two sections 20and 21 of the bushing have semi-cylindrical cross recesses therein toreceive the brake beam hanger l4 and the two bushing sections also havenotches 20a and 2la which can be brought into alignment to take aportion of a nutted bolt 22 for securing the bushing in place within.the brake hanger bracket l3. It will be noted that the lower surface ofthe bushing section 2| is inclined to fit against the inclined lower jawof the brake hanger bracket l3 and it will also be noted that the uppersection 20 of the bushing is provided with two notches 20a, either oneof which can be alined with the one notch 2la in the lower bushingsection 2i to thereby avoid the necessity of making the upper I bushingsection 20 in rights and lefts for use at opposite sides of the truck.The upper bushing section 20 forms a short arm 2% which projectsinwardly from side frame 9 slightly relative to the hanger l4 and thisarm terminates in a flattened and apertured ear to form a support forthe brake beam safety device of the invention. The arm 201) extendsinwardly from the bushing section 20 wherein the semi-cylindrical recessis formed. v i

The safety device proper in the formshown in Figs. 1 to 6, and as alsoshown in Fig. 9, includes a pair of slotted lugs and 24 of similarstructure and a flexible steel cable 25 integrally connected at its twoends as by welding to the respective lugs 23 and 24 The lugs 23 and 24are provided with openings therein wherein the .ends of the cable 25arereceived and after the cable ends are placed within the" openings ofthe lugs they are "preferably welded or soldered in place. i

The upper lug23 pr the safety device proper is connected byxa'fnuttedbolt 26 tothe apertured ear of the arm 20b forming a portion of theupper section of the. bushing carried by the brake hanger bracket 13.The lower lug 24 is connected by a nutted bolt 21 to an anchoring clip28 attached to a portion of the brakebeam such as to one of the tensionmembers It thereof. This anchoring clip as shown in Figs. 1 and 13, topermit of ready connection and disconnection with a tension member l8 j,consists of a pair of clamping jaws which clamp against the tensionmember I8 of the-brake beam and these jaws are provided at theirlower-ends with interlocking teeth 28a. The one nutted bolt 21 acts bothto connect the clip 22 to the tension member I6 as well as to conspacingbetween the brake hanger bracket l3 and the point where the clip 28 isattached to the brake beam that the cable 25 will not be taut when thebrake beam is properly supported by the hanger H. In other words, thesafety device consisting of the cable 25 and lugs 23 and 24 is ofsomewhat greater length than the distance between the arm 201) and theclip 28 so that the brake beam is not normally supported by the safetydevice. In case of breakage of the hanger I4, or of any other part whichfunctions to support the brake beam, the safety device will act tosupport the brake beam and prevent it from dropping to obviate anypossibility of accident through derailment or the like. The use of theflexible cable 25 is highly desirable because of the fact that the cablewill not rattle as would a chain or other link structure and also thecable 25, if originally bent as shown in Fig. 1 to substantially an 8formation, will have some resiliency to remain in that formation.

' In Figs. '7 and 8 and in Fig. 12 an alternative form of safety deviceis shown which can be substituted for the safety device shown in theother views consisting of the parts 23, 24 and 25. In the device shownin Figs. 7, 8 and 12, lugs 29 and 30 are employed in place of the lugs23 and 24 respectively. Lugs 29 and 30 consist of split casings withinwhich the looped ends of a cable 3| are received and rivets 32 hold thetwo sections of the casings together and securely anchor the cable endsto the lugs. The lugs 29 and 30 are equipped with bolt holes to receivethe bolts 26 and 21.

In Figs. 9, 10 and 11 an alternative form of bushing for connection ofthe brake hanger-to the brake hanger bracket and for support of thebrake beam safety device is shown. Referring to these views a side frameis designated by the numeral 33 and this side frame carries a brake beamhanger bracket 34, the upper surface of the under jaw of which ispreferably provided with side rabbets 34a. A bushing 35 is provided forreception in the hanger bracket 34. The portion of this bushing receivedwithin the bracket 34 is of substantially U-shape in side elevation asbest shown in Fig. 11 and the bottom portion of the bushing is providedwith downwardly extending flanges 35a which are received within therabbets 34a. of the bracket 34. The bushing has a C-shape recess 35bwithin which the top cross portion of the brake hanger 31 is receivedand the bushing is also provided with bossed bolt openings 350 whichreceive a nutted bolt 38 carried by the bracket 34. This bolt securesthe bushing 35 to the bracket 34 and retains the brake hanger 31 inplace within the bushing. By removing this bolt 38 both the brake hanger31 and the bushing 35 can be removed from the bracket 34. The bushing 35carries an inwardly projecting arm 35d provided at its inner end with anapertured ear to which the upper lug 23 of a safety device is secured asby a nutted bolt 26. It will, of course, be understood that the safetydevice shown in Figs. and 6, or the safety device shown in Figs. '1 and8, can be attached to the arm 35d. The bushing 35 shown in Figs. 9, and11 will be made in rights and lefts to fit on opposite sides of thetruck.

Referring to Fig. 12 there is shown a side frame 39 having a brakehanger bracket 40 consisting of merely an apertured hub integrallyconnected therewith. A pin 4| is received within the bracket 40 and abrake hanger 42 having at its upper end two spaced arms provided witheyes is carried by the pin 4|, the eyes of the arms of the brake hangerreceiving the pin 4|. The inner end of the pin 4| is provided with ahead 4|a from which extends an apertured lug 4|b to which the safetydevice proper is connected. In Fig. 12 a safety device of the type shownin Figs. 7 and 8 is shown connected to the pin 4|, the upper lug 29 ofthis device being secured to the lug 4") of the pin as by a nutted bolt43. Unintentional withdrawal of the pin 4| from the bracket 40 isprevented by means ofa cotter key 44 which runs through an opening inthe outer end portion of the pin 4|.

In connection with the devices shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4, and Figs.9, 10-and 11, attention should be called to the fact that the bolt 22,or 38, as the case may be, which holds the bushing employed in placealso holds the brake beam hanger in place. Accordingly when such a boltis removed the bushing employed therewith may be removed from the brakehanger bracket and the top end of the cable forming the brake beamsafety device is released at the same time. Thus the brake beam safetydevice is removed simultaneously with the brake beam hanger andconsiderable labor is saved when it becomes desirable to remove thebrake beam over what would be the case if the safety device was notremovable with the bushing. Also in connection with the device shown inFig. 12 removal of the cotter key 44 permits removable of the brake beamhanger 42 and at the same time disconnects the brake beam safety devicefrom the side frame.

The anchoring clip 28 is, of course, very easily removed from the brakebeam by merely removing the bolt 21.

It will be seen that I have provided an extremely simple and practicalbrake beam safety device which is efiective for the use intended.

It will, of course, be understood that various changes may be made inthe form, details, arrangement and proportions of the various partswithout departure from the scope of the present invention whichgenerally stated consists of the matter shown and described and setforth in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a car truck, a brake hanger bracket, a brake hanger bushingmounted in said bracket and having an arm projecting laterally inwardlytherefrom, a brake beam hanger supported in said bushing, a brake beamcarried by said hanger and a flexible member of slightly greater lengththan the spacing between said arm and said brake beam and connected atits upper end to said arm and at its lower end to said brake beam.

2. The structure defined in claim 1, said member comprising a pair oflugs and a cable connected at its ends to said lugs.

3. In a car truck, a bushing for brake hanger brackets comprising meansfor receiving and carrying the brake hanger and a projecting arm forattachment of a flexible cable which may be extended to the brake beam.

EDWIN W. WEBB.

